Bharat Bandh: A phone call prompted Shiv Sena to stay out of strike

The Shiv Sena, which has been the most vocal critic of ally BJP's failure to curb rising fuel prices and even put up posters across the city with the tagline, "Yehi hai acche din? (Are these good days?)", will not support the Bharat bandh called by the Congress-led Opposition today.

Reason? A call from BJP chief Amit Shah.

According to a senior party leader, several of them had urged Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray to back the bandh but calls from Shah and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis seemed to have prompted a change in the party's stand despite several requests from the Congress-NCP to participate in the nationwide strike.

The move is being seen by political interpreters as another step towards a patch-up between the bickering alliance partners. Had the Sena decided to join the bandh, it would have been a major embarrassment for the ruling BJP as Uddhav's party is a partner in the government both at the Centre and in the state.

"There was a call from Amit Shah. CM Devendra Fadnavis had also called up. We have decided not to support the bandh openly. We are protesting against rising fuel prices on our own and are more vocal against the BJP government's policies than any other party. We don't need to back a bandh called to protest against the government," said a senior Sena leader.

A political observer pointed out that with the Sena getting a large chunk of "plum posts" in state-run corporations and agencies, the party appears to have softened its stand towards BJP. A series of developments after Shah's meeting with Uddhav at Matoshree in June also appears to have thawed the rancorous ties between the Sena and BJP. Sources said that the Sena may even go back on its earlier stand and fight the 2019 polls with the BJP if it gets a fair deal.

A section of Sena functionaries, however, appears to be unhappy with the leadership's change in stand on the bandh over fuel prices.

"If the Congress manages to ensure a successful bandh with the MNS's support, the Sena's monopoly of bandhs will be over. This was the right time to support the strike as there is largescale anger and resentment in the common man against rising fuel prices. The party has missed the chance to strike while the iron is hot," a functionary said.

Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Anil Desai, the party's point man in Delhi, did not respond to calls and text messages from Mirror. However, MP Sanjay Raut said that they want to see how the Congress-led group fares today.

"The Shiv Sena has carried the mantle of the real Opposition for the last four years. The Congress-led Opposition seems to have woken up now. Let them strike. When it is the time to hit the streets for the common man, the Shiv Sena will show how bandhs are staged. The Shiv Sena is the real bandh samrat in Maharashtra," said Raut.

The Bharat Bandh called by the Congress and other Opposition parties started on Monday morning

In contrast, Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has declared its support for the one-day strike. "The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena extends its full support to the 'bandh' and will actively participate in it," Uddhav's estranged cousin Raj tweeted on Sunday morning.
"We all should ensure such solid implementation and success of this bandh, that the government sitting in Delhi should realise all the mistakes that they have committed," he added.

The Congress welcomed MNS's support. "We are glad that the MNS has supported the bandh. This is a bandh for the common man and it is expected that everyone facing the pinch of sky-rocketing fuel prices will support it. For Uddhav Thackeray, it would have been a golden opportunity to teach a lesson to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The people are against the BJP now. All those, who are against the BJP, must make their stand clear," said city Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam.

Nirupam added that all 27 market committees are also said to have pledged support.

"Maharashtra is bearing the brunt the most as the fuel price hike has been the highest in the state. We have been demanding that both petrol and diesel be brought under GST. This will bring down prices by at least 50 per cent," Nirupam said.

In the city, petrol and diesel were selling at Rs 87.89 and Rs 77.09 per litre, respectively, on Sunday.

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